Patricia Mary Gilliam

Santa Clara native Patricia Gilliam passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on May 27th. Born to Italian immigrants Vittorio and Genoveffa (Cinelli) Pieracci, Patricia was proud to be a first generation Italian-American. She grew up on Liberty Street in a predominantly Italian neighborhood and was the third child in her family. Her childhood was filled with memories running about on her father’s ranch off Winchester Avenue, her mother’s incredible cooking, and her loving siblings Norma and Dante.

Patricia graduated from Santa Clara High School in 1958. She often referred to the 1950's as a golden age for America and enjoyed her youth immensely. She danced at the Hop, shopped at the department stores such as Harts, and dined on American classics at the counter of Woolworths.

Her greatest adventure began when she met the love of her life, Delbert Gilliam, at the Jamaica Inn in Sunnyvale. The two were wed on March 13, 1965 and spent the first two years of their married life in Italy. The two traveled Europe, visited relatives and cherished each other as husband and wife for over 50 years.

Upon returning to the states the couple was blessed with the birth of their son Michael and their daughter Michele. The young family eventually moved to Los Gatos to raise their children. Patricia's greatest joy was her family. She enjoyed watching her children grow up, get married and have families of their own. She was blessed with five grandchildren; Belle, Alyse (Michael and Shannon), Morgan, Travis, and Caleb (Michele and Frank).

"I am never alone" were her words. She had the valuable quality to befriend all she met whether it was having coffee, shopping, or standing in line at the grocery store. Patricia was happy working in her yard, cleaning her house or cooking for her family. She truly enjoyed this life, and she will continue to live on in her family and friends.

Patricia's funeral mass will be celebrated at 11:00 on Friday June 5th at Holy Spirit Parish located at 1200 Redmond Avenue in San Jose. In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made in her name. One suggestion is St. Patrick's Seminary located at 320 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 or online at stpatricksseminary.org/give.